Seafood Processing Companies Key Terms

Catch up to seafood processing vocabulary

For some, the words seafood processing conjure images of the Deadliest Catch television series, or perhaps even the fantasy of earning a year's income in several months spent at a remote fishery. Others may see seafood processing as a way of reaping a profit from the bounty of the sea. The truth is that while the seafood industry is often profitable, it's also hit and miss. The welfare of the entire industry depends on how much fish is caught, a matter for which there is simply no guarantee. Use these key words to help you get a basic understanding of how seafood processing companies work.

 

At-sea processor

An at-sea processor, also known as a processing vessel, is a floating facility for processing seafood. Fishing ships can pull up to the at-sea processor, off-load their catches, and go back to fishing without having to be pulled into the dock. At-sea processors are capable of following the fishing boats to make the delivery time even shorter.
Try: The At-sea Processors Association is a trade association working with fishery managers, scientists, environmentalists and other industry members.

Quality inspection

QC, quality control and quality inspection are all the same thing: Inspection of a set percentage of processed fish to determine whether the quality is within acceptable levels, as gauged by such criteria as the presence or number of bones and parasites.
Try: The Meat Site details both the automated and human aspects of the quality control chain for processing seafood.

Isoelectric focusing gel electrophoresis

Isoelectric focusing gel electrophoresis (IEF) is a technique used to verify whether further processed seafood products in fact consist of the seafood species they are purported to contain. This is often the only way of verifying species once a product has been processed into its consumer-ready form.
Try: Microbac Laboratories gives a technical explanation of how imported seafood is subjected to species verification through IEF and how the technology works.

Water quality

As a processing term, water quality refers not to the quality of the water the fish came out of but the quality standards which water must meet to be used in seafood processing. Most seafood processing is done with water that meets drinking water standards, but these standards vary throughout the world.
Try: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations examines the standards and typical qualities of water used for fish processing throughout the world.

Shrimp industry

While seafood processing may bring to mind fish with fins, other creatures like crab and shrimp are also considered to be seafood and are often processed at the same facilities that process finned fish like pollock.
Try: About.com looks at the prominence of the shrimping industry by catch.

Surimi

Surimi is one of several regional specialties that are in high demand. Because fish destined for use as surimi must be processed differently than other fish, the ability to prepare them at an at-sea or land-based processing plant is considered a valuable asset in an employee.
Try: Surimi literally translates as washed minced fish. Alaska Seafood explains how it's processed, shaped, and prepared.

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